According to ISACA – Cyber Threats Up but no increase in Ransomware

In its State of Cybersecurity 2018 research study just released, ISACA reveals that last year, 62% of respondents experienced a ransomware attack, compared to 45% this year — a 17-point drop.

According to ISACA, the drop in ransomware attacks is likely because organisations are significantly better prepared after last year’s WannaCry and NotPetya attacks, with 82% of respondents saying that their enterprises now have ransomware strategies in place. In addition, 78% said they have a formal process in place— up 25-points from last year.

“While these findings are positive, the data show that ransomware attacks may have been displaced by cryptocurrency mining, which is becoming more frequent,” said ISACA.

“Cryptocurrency mining malware can operate without direct access to the file system, making them harder to detect—and as the prices of cryptocurrencies increase, the economics of cryptocurrency mining malware becomes better for the attacker.

“Additionally, the three most common attack vectors remain unchanged from last year – phishing, malware and social engineering.”

The research also shows that 50% of the 2,366 security leaders surveyed have seen an increase in cyberattack volumes relative to last year and, in addition, 80% of respondents said they are likely, or very likely, to be attacked this year — a statistic that ISACA says remains unchanged from last year’s study.

According to ISACA, active defence strategies are highly effective, but underutilised.

The research also found that nearly 4 out of 10 respondents (39%) are not at all familiar or only slightly familiar with active defence strategies (e.g., honeypots and sinkholes), and of those who are familiar with active defence strategies, just over half are actually using them.

“This is a missed opportunity for security leaders and their organisations,” said Frank Downs, director of cybersecurity at ISACA.

“ISACA’s research indicates that active defence strategies are one of the most effective countermeasures to cyberattacks. A full 87% of those who use them indicate that they were successful.”

The ISACA report suggests enterprises must be better prepared with focused attention on several areas, and makes several recommendations, including:

Investing in talent—With attacks still on the rise, enterprises must continue to invest in finding, retaining and training skilled cyber security professionals

Exploring further automation benefits—Enterprises should consider automation-driven strategies and tools for detection and to support recovery and response efforts

Ensuring appropriate investment in security controls—With attack vectors (phishing, malware and social engineering) minimally changing, existing control types are still valid and useful. Enterprise investment and attention to security controls should increase in line with the frequency of these attack vectors.